Filmmaker Uses MIDI Controller To Create DaVinci Resolve Interface

By James DeRuvo (doddleNEWS)

Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve 12 has grown beyond its color grading roots into a full blown editor, but Hollywood still relies on the software to dial in its color grading. One only has to look at the awards given at Sundance and others to see just how many films use DaVinci Resolve for color grading. But even though it’s software driven, one filmmaker wanted a more tactile method to control it, so he took a standard DJ MIDI controller and with some swift coding, created a hardware driven interface to grade with, and he did it for under $300.

“Reading professional grading forums I have many times come by issues from people that even the commercial grading controllers aren’t mapped as well as they could have been for DaVinci Resolve and that the mapping cannot be altered. This combined to simply to huge cost of owning one made me to look for any reasonable alternatives and to realize that there simply wasn’t one suitable for my needs. So I decided to come up with a solution of my own which comes as close as possible to a full-size controller but without breaking the bank and not looking like something from Frankenstein’s creations.” - Julius Koivistoinen

The heart of Finnish filmmaker Julius Koivistoinen’s MIDIGrade, his custom hardware DaVinci Resolve controller, is a piece of software called Controller Mate. It’s a function mapping utility that enables users to custom program a hardware device and map functions to each individual dial.

The MIDI Interface in question is a very affordable MIDI Fighter Twister MIDI controller, which you can pick up for about $220 online. Controller Mate is available from OrderedBytes here, and it’s dirt cheap at $25. There’s even a try before you buy option.

Koivistoinen used both to not only map each DaVinci Resolve function to one of the 16 dials in the MIDI interface, but also to create three different pages (or banks) for different sets of functions. There’s a power window bank, an HSL qualifier bank, and then a basic color adjustments page. The MIDI controller has toggle buttons on the side to switch from bank to bank.

Specs:

1. Controls Power Window, ssl controller, and color adjustments
2. USB Connection
3. 16 high resolution Chroma Cap Encoders (MFT)
4. Push switches on every knob (MFT)
5. LED Feedback that syncs with the software (MFT)
6. Works with Resolve, Studio, and App Store Studio
7. REQUIRES: ControllerMate, Resolve 12.5, Midi Fighter Twister (MFT)

Koivistoinen says that it takes about an hour to program, and once you do, all the main functions of DaVinci Resolve are at your command with a tactile knob connection. And if you already have a Tangent Ripple controller, Koivistoinen reports that his mapping technique will work with it as well.

Koivistoinen is also constantly working to refine his technique and incorporate new functions from DaVinci Resolve as they’re released. In his version 1.2 of MIDIGrade, he includes ten new features and refinements from user feedback and updates from the recent version of Resolve. Here’s a complete list of features in the new technique:

1. Overall performance improvements
2. Next / Previous Node buttons
3. New Bank toggling layout
4. Next / Previous Clip buttons on sides
5. Buttons for Disabling / Enabling HSL Qualifiers
6. New more intuitive knob order in Bank 2 HSL Qualifiers
7. Sizing options in Bank 3
8. Temperature and Tint knobs in Bank 3
9. New Passive mouse dragging function in Bank 3
10. Add version and Next version buttons
11. Play Still, Grab Still, Next Still and Previous Still buttons
12. 0.5 pixel knob speed
13. 10x toggleable knob speed

Of course, as with any DIY solution, there are some frustrations. First, as ControllerMate is a Mac program, this will only work with the OS X version of DaVinci Resolve. Koivistoinen says he’s been developing a Windows version, but it has yet to be released. So if you’re using a PC, you’ll have to look for a PC alternative.

A quick Google search gave me a few including AutoHotKey, an open source macro creation app, and XPadder. XPadder was designed to be used to map your XBOX controller for use with PC based video games, but the basic premise is the same. There are also other alternatives listed at one of my favorite sites for such quandaries - Alternativeto.net. So if you don’t like one, try another.

The other frustration is that since the MIDI interface basically mimics mouse control, if you try and do more than one function at a time, the software side of the interface can get a little confused. As Koivistoinen explains it, “The function of the knobs is basically ordering your mouse to move clicking and dragging pixel-accurately on your screen lightning fast so please keep in mind that manipulating multiple knobs even slightly at once or moving your mouse while adjusting a setting may result in unwanted jerkiness or make it seem like the functions aren’t working.”

Even with all that, if you’re looking at a very affordable, sub $300 hardware based solution with which to color grade all your projects, the MIDIGrade may be for you. I’m sure it’s not that hard to figure out, but you can save some time by following his step by step instructions on Sellfy here for a suggested price of $56 in change.

Even then you’re still under the cost of the Tangent Ripple interface. And I’m betting you can get the cost down even further. There are dozens of MIDI controllers on Amazon and eBay, and with the wide range of selections, it only depends on how much you want to spend and how much functionality you can live with.

But when you consider that a dedicated turnkey color grading suite with DaVinci Resolve can set you back over $1,000 or more (including this beautiful one from Blackmagic Design for just under $30,000), it’s easy to see how this do it yourself interface can be attractive.

Hat Tip - NFS